Meigs Creek Hike

Yesterday I was able to spend most of the day with my brother, niece and nephew. We hiked on the Meigs Creek Trail. The trail is 3.5 miles, which would be 7 miles total. Some of the highlights of this trail include a paw-paw patch (which bears ripened fruit in September), a rhododendron tunnel, and 18-20 creek crossings. Creek crossings are normally a fun time for me because as a little girl I loved going to creeks and engaging in some rock hopping. After hiking around a mile and a half (as well as about five creek crossings) there is a small waterfall. I hiked this trail in October and again yesterday and both times have hiked to the fall before having to turn around. The first time was because of a very late start to our hike. Yesterday we had a little more trouble because of the water levels being higher than last time. On a couple of the crossings my brother learned a new talent. We would get to a crossing only to find that where you could previously cross without much problem, now with slightly higher water several crucial rocks were covered by water. This required a good bit of puzzle solving ability. There were a few times that he was trying to place rocks into a position that would make it possible for all of us to safely cross. This made me nervous as to how we these rocks would stay in place for us as we crossed. To my delight they worked well both crossings. We got to where I had seen the fall from my last attempt on this trail and when we hiked to the top where you cross the creek again (a little behind the top of the fall) there was no likely way to cross. The water was deeper in this area and there was going to be no way to create a crossing. Of course the option of wading across was also impossible since the mountain water is cold enough in the summertime, but in winter it is unthinkable! So we decided that we would make this the end of our trail and we would rest as we ate our lunches. So we sat at the side of the creek and I enjoyed eating my peanut butter and honey sandwich. After our lunch we started our hike back to the "Sinks" where the trail started. The crossings were a little faster since we no longer needed to create ways to get across. It was a fun hike for me and I hope that is was for the rest.

Since our hike ended a little early we decided to drive through the loop at Cades Cove. I always enjoy going there for several reasons. First is that is where Joe and I were married. Second is that Joe and I also had gone on a picnic there underneath a tree in one of the fields. This was while we were dating and he was getting ready to leave for basic training in the military. We had spent a lovely day looking around in the Cove as well as having our little picnic. Every time we have gone back to the loop we have always looked over to see what we had called "our tree". I was saddened to see that our tree along with another close by was gone. I guess now we can still have the lovely memory of that day so long ago, but the visual reminder will no longer be there for us to see. I suppose that just stands as a reminder of the way life is constantly changing. We may have the memories, but the people or places are no longer here as a reminder.

Merry Christmas to all

I had a wonderful Christmas yesterday. We had a great little gathering at our church to worship and give praises to our Lord for His great gift to us. You know, I thought it was very fitting that we were in our Father' s house to celebrate the birth of His son. This does not say that I did not wish to be with family as well. We had an amazing big brunch afterwards and spent a great time celebrating with our family. Just to sit around and enjoy the time spent with family is a great pleasure for me.

Sometimes we do not spend as much time together as family and friends as we should. We can live within a thirty minute drive, but only see each other once or twice a year. That is very sad for me when we sometimes make our lives so busy that we do not spend time with family and friends save for the few rare holidays. It makes me happy that my husband's family is different than mine. Every Sunday after our morning worship we have lunch and spend the afternoon at my in-law's home before going to our evening worship service. After the death of my husband's grandmother last year, her three children decided that we would all get together every two months. So the whole family is invited and we all get together a spend a evening together eating and having fun spending time together. It is a so comforting to have a family that enjoys spending time talking, playing games and just having fun together. That is the kind of family I hope to continue to have with my children and hopefully my grandchildren.

Lack of Pride

Since I have already mentioned my love for the work of Jane Austen I am sure there is no need for any repetition of those former sentiments. I do however feel that I need to express my deep disappointment in my hopes of another adaptation of a remarkable novel done well. Sadly, the newest attempt of Pride and Prejudice falls extremely short in being faithful to the story created by Jane Austen. So many changes were made in this “fan fiction” that it was hard to see much included of the wonderful, original story. Then I must ask myself, how can one take such a great piece of literature and condense it down into a mere two hours? This particular adaptation was missing so much of the rich language, with characters shown in a vastly different style, and attempting to hurry a story along by sacrificing much of the important “meat” of the book. It is easy for a person, such as myself, to be able to put in the missing pieces of this puzzle, but I wonder what it would be like for a person so wholly unfamiliar with the novel. I tried to think back over the movie and see what it would be like to fresh eyes (which I must say is difficult). Some parts seem to make little to no sense to me. Without the background I have how would I know why out of the clear blue Mr. Bennet seems so worried about who his daughter marries when through the whole movie he seems to be very distant and unfeeling towards them. There are several more instances I could share, but in the slight chance that someone reading this wishes to see the movie, I will refrain so I do not give away too much.

There are a few good points to this movie and I will try to leave this post on a high note. The casting of a few of the characters was closer to the novel then previous attempts (more on the physical appearance and age aspect). The music was very complimentary and pleasant to hear. Perhaps by making this movie in more of a contemporary way will encourage some of the younger generations to read a wonderful example of English literature, which in my opinion is always a capital idea!

Family Field Trip

Monday the boys and I went to the East Tennessee History Center to see a display of our state flags. It was a pleasurable trip for all of us. We got to see the first proposed flag for our state, one of the first of our current state flags, a flag that was flying over the state capital in 1998 during a tornado, and others. We learned some very interesting facts about each different flag. There were also displays of freshwater pearls, limestone, and other objects pertaining to Tennessee. The History Center also had a street scene in place for visitors to peruse. There was a streetcar, drugstore, and dentist office. The boys particularly took pleasure in playing on the streetcar. My eldest son also remembered on a previous trip seeing the streetcar tracks on the street outside of the History Center (which they have only recently paved over completely). I so much enjoy to see the happiness my children show about learning more about history and the history of our local area. They continually make their momma so proud!

If you would like to learn more about this exhibit please visit the website of the East Tennessee Historical Society at www.east-tennessee-history.org.

Janeite clarification

Okay, for those of you confused by something in my info (as my eldest son was) I will explain the one that I am sure has triggered some scratching of heads. You might be asking yourself what is a Janeite? Is it some strange religion? Maybe a secret society? I guess you could say yes and no. You see a Janeite is a person who is a devoted fan of Jane Austen’s writings. For those of you still exercising your fingers on your head, let me further explain. Jane Austen was an authoress from England who wrote six complete novels and several short stories. Her career officially started with the publication of Sense and Sensibility in 1811. Next came Pride and Prejudice in 1813. Following these two great literary masterpieces were Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey. My personal favorites are Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion. The life of Jane Austen lasted only for a short period, but she made an impression on many lives with her novels. There are even fans that write “fan fiction.” Fan fiction is where you write a story based on characters from any story, but changing certain events, characters or even the complete storyline. This is not just a phenomenon with Jane Austen fans. No, several other sites are around dedicated to fiction of Harry Potter, Star Trek, etc.

Giving in to the Temptation

Several people I know are now bloggers. They read the blogs of all the people they know, link their blogs to each other, then they look for more blogs from the other people they know. Naturally the question comes from many as to when I will have my own. Well, I guess I will attempt to amuse those who venture here with the nonsensical ramblings of a stay at home mother. Please peruse at your own risk!